3. Adapt the Comics
The plots of the films have taken minor inspiration from elements of the G1 mythos and certain episodes from the 80s cartoon. But there are plenty of stories to adapt from the vast comic books created by Marvel, Dreamwave, IDW, and others over the years. Potential comics include The War Within, which could serve as good source material for a prequel, All Hail Megatron, a grim and gritty story where Megatron rules Earth, and the fantastic Last Stand of the Wreckers, featuring the Wreckers going on a Suicide Squad-esque mission to liberate a prison planet from its Decepticon warlord. That last one could work well, with slight tweaking to fit in the movie universe (i.e. replace the prison planet with Lockdown’s wayward prison ship). The possibilities are endless.
2. Bigger Threats
You know it can be hard having interest villains when they die so quickly. Megatron has died twice, The Fallen got his ancient ass handed to him, Sentinel Prime was cruelly murdered, and Lockdown was too awesome for this series. Not to mention Decepticon regulars Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave are all dead too. And with only Galvatron active in the films, it is time to raise the stakes – and by that, I mean bring in bigger threats. A force so powerful it would force the Autobots and Decepticons to work together. We have been teased the Creators, who allegedly made the Transformers, and are implied to be the movie’s version of the Quintessons, five-faced aliens who once ruled Cybertron.
But, we could go bigger. Bring in a certain world-devouring planet-sized Transformer. That’s right. Unicron. A common threat in numerous versions of the franchise, Unicron wants nothing more than to devour everything in the galaxy. A mix of Galactus, Apocalypse, and the Death Star, Unicron is one intimidating foe, once voiced by Orson Welles, and is the Transformers’ equivalent of the devil. However, the obstacle of including Unicron is the huge amount of CGI they would need to bring him to life. In Revenge of the Fallen, the sheer detail of the wasted Devastator led to Industrial Light & Magic’s computers melting. Imagine what a planet-sized Transformers could do both on and off screen.
1. Fix Optimus Prime
If the films need to be improved anywhere, it is with our protagonist. Aside from his first epic appearance in the first movie, Optimus has been sliding down a slippery slope with each film, becoming more psychotic and murderous. Seemingly hellbent on exterminating his own kind, Optimus blew up his own planet and has killed countless other Transformers in cold blood all the while preaching about freedom. But in Age of Extinction, Optimus did a one-eighty, now hating humans and whining about his species being exterminated. You might want to look in a mirror, for I am sure your reflection would facepalm. Peter Cullen is wonderful as Optimus, but transforming a beloved character into a warmongering lunatic is not the right way to go.
It is being guessed, judging from The Last Knight’s teaser poster, that Optimus might take a walk on the dark side and become Nemesis Prime. Maybe doing some actual bad things against his will might inspire Optimus to turn over a new leaf and become a better character and role model for children again. Maybe with a better hero, Hasbro can have a better film franchise.
Oh, and one other thing. Bring in Stan Bush and his awesome music. He’s got the touch!
How do you think Transformers could be improved as a film series? Which directors could salvage the movies? Leave a comment below or on our Twitter feed.
